Truth Behind
by TheShiningDarkness
Summary: Mastermind got a 'surprise' from Diabolic Esper, and it's not a good one. A DEMM/MMDE fic. Warning for a bit violence!


DEMM

Loud scream of pain filled the room, or maybe heard throughout the walls and the door. One could say it was deafening, but it didn't affect him even though the source of the scream was right below him.

"Hm Hm~ Is it hurt~?" He uttered as he grinned. His voice was covered with such sweet tone, but what he was doing was the complete opposite. Magenta eyes gazed toward the other pair of magenta eyes under him, waiting for any respond as he grinded more to the injured part, resulting another scream from the other. "Oh… I guess it is…"

He did not care how much pressure he gave to the wound. It would go back to the time when it was never injured, right? After it went back, however, he would repeat it again. How many time had he broke his bones? Oh, it's the fourth time.

The one on top was just chuckling at the thought. It was still not enough. It's still not equal. He had to do it again. He gave another pressure on the same part to earn another scream, but it never came. He leaned back to see the 'wounded' part and clicked his tongue. The time had been rewind again for them and only them, their physical body to be exact. He then heard a whimper from the one beneath him and that made him turned his head again to face the other man.

"S-stop…"

He grinned at the other man's weak voice. It's filled with pain, of course, and fear. Oh he loved that word. He loved how the other feared him. "…Sper, p- please… stop…" as much as Mastermind hated it, stuttering, begging and looking weak, he could not bear with this one. Esper need to be stopped or his life was on the line. "Why should I?" Esper asked lightly. One of his hands trailed towards the other's neck, wrapping his finger around it, but not grasping it. The other hand was placed on Mastermind's shoulder, holding him in place. "Someone told me it's still not enough, Mastermind…" He leaned down, stopping just some inches before Mastermind's face and said, "And you know what?" at this Esper's voice seemed darker, even darker than before. He closed his eyes and grinned wider if he could and opening his eyes again as he added, "I agree with that."

As soon as Mastermind saw Esper's eyes, his fear started to grow. His scleras were black... He knew he had to do something before Esper lost himself completely and nobody knew what he would do. It was a bet that only took seconds… no… ought to be in seconds or all was in vain. Mastermind closed his eyes, attempting to regain his composure and relax even though Esper's hand was wrapping his neck. Once he was ready, he snapped opened his eyes, startling the other and used as much power he had to struggle off Esper's grip.

He thought he could do it because it was Esper, the thinnest man out of three of them. Yes, it should be easy to counter something so light. However, human was always strange, right? When controlled by emotion, humans can be something else, can have something that's beyond their usual self, and that's what happening now. Just as Mastermind starting to get up, Esper let out a growl and pushed him back to the floor with a loud bang in the head.

Mastermind shut his eyes in respond of the pain and he was not getting the time to recover from that because Esper's hands were already on his neck again, this time… choking him. "What do you think you're doing?" Esper started. His voice was laced with anger. "You think you can overpower me? Of course you can, but with your dynamo. Now that you can't control them, you're just a weakling… You're more of a fool despite your genius trait. Are you going to go to him and ditch me again?!" every word, every sentence was louder than the previous.

Mastermind could only listen to him as he tried so hard to stay conscious. His headband was taken from his head and yes, he realized that he couldn't control his dynamo, but he didn't expect Esper to be this strong. Was it because… of anger?

"Tell me, Mastermind!" Esper released his neck, allowing him to breath. "Tell me!"

Every second counted made Esper's grasp on his neck tighter and tighter. Mastermind tried to pry Esper's hands off him or at least giving a room to his neck, but it was useless. His eyes started to go blurry and he no longer could hear Esper's words clearly though Esper was repeating it again and again. What is it? What to tell him? He didn't understand. He didn't understand what Esper was saying. Mastermind could feel his consciousness starting to fade away and Esper's power was not decreasing anytime soon.

Mastermind attempted to open his mouth and speak only to be interrupted with a harsh cough. He, however, forced his voice through, ignoring how it would sound, he had to try. "Ekh…! T- ell … ou.. wh- at.. Akh!"

"The truth, Mastermind! I want the truth!" He paused for a moment, mind still filled with unknown anger, "You are with him! Together with him! AND YOU LEAVE ME!"

Trying to hear Esper's word as best as he could, Mastermind heard nothing but the word 'him' and something about leaving. 'Him? Him who? One of the Elgang? No, Esper rarely communicate with them. So who? The other that live with is-'

".. N-! –Sper! No- ! I don't-!" Mastermind's voices come out as squeaks. He knew what he meant now, and he tried to explain it, but what could he do if he was choked.

Esper's hands loosened and it gave Mastermind the time to breathe the oxygen he needed as he coughed. His neck was bruised, it's a miracle that he was still alive. Esper's hands were still on his neck though they did nothing, just being there. Mastermind blinked several time until he could see clearly. Then he saw what he wished he didn't. Esper's scleras were still black, but his eye… his left eye was glowing dangerously. Mastermind heard him mumbling something but he couldn't figure it out. The next thing he knew was that Esper took one of his hand and in an instant, there was an audible broken sound from it, resulting a scream.

It hurt. It hurt so much that Mastermind couldn't even think straight anymore. All he felt was the extreme pain from his broken bones. It was like what Esper had done to him several times before, but what made it different was-

"Oh it hurt yes?" Esper chuckled. "Oh my, I forgot to cast my Seal of Time," he said casually with a light tone, "I guess you have to deal with it now." He chuckled again and it's time darker than before. It's like Esper had lost himself and that's what Mastermind afraid of.

Esper sighed after his marathon of chuckling and giggling. His hand was still at Mastermind's hand, holding it. "Be grateful I didn't break your arm… the arm you used to hug him… Lusa…" Esper gritted his teeth as he said that. Mastermind, lying on the floor, hurt and tired, registered what Esper said and thought about it. 'Me hugging Lusa? When? Did I forget? I meet Lusa almost everyday but just briefly… Did he mistake someone else as Lusa? But I did not meet anybody. Whom he saw then? Which Lusa he saw…? Or… which me…'

With that last thought in mind, he gulped, gathering he thought he need just to speak to Esper, this Esper, "Which me… Which 'Mastermind' did you see doing that?" At hearing that, Esper's eyes went wide and he released Mastermind's injured hand ungently that it hit the floor, making Mastermind automatically shut his eyes and gasped in pain.

While still recovering from the new earned pain, Mastermind heard Esper mumbled, "Which…? Which? Which Mastermind? Which? … Which… Mastermind…?" Mastermind slowly opened his eyes to look at Esper and he did not expect the sudden eye contact from him. However, his eyes showed something different. It's neither anger nor upset… Maybe something like confusion? Worried? Sadness? It's unreadable.

"Which… Mastermind…" he repeated again. He ran through his memories, his activities, his travels. Then he added quietly, "Not… you…"

And soon white had found its way to Esper's scleras again and he came back to normal. Esper still maintained the eye contact and he seemed really guilty. He glanced at Mastermind's hand, which bent a wrong way a hand supposed to, and back to Mastermind's face, "I …"

Mastermind sighed, "About time…" and the last thing he felt was warm tears dropping on his face before he finally passed out.

When he came around, he had a light headache but that didn't stop him from opening his eyes. "Huh? What happened?"

"Oh finally you're awake," a familiar voice said.

Mastermind turned his head to see Lusa. "You've been out whole day. Thought you're not gonna wake up soon."

"Whole day?!" Mastermind jolted up so quick he got a headache again and an adding pain from his hand. "Hey, don't get up just yet! You need to rest!" Lusa approached him.

"Do you know how many things I can do in a day? I'm wasting my time," he said.

Lusa let out a growl but not as irritated, "You still thinking about that when your hand's like that?"

Mastermind glanced at his injured hand and said back, "I still had one other hand and my dynamo."

"Okay, whatever, I don't care what you think, alright? I suggest you to rest, but if you insist, I can't do much." Lusa turned around and said, "I'll bring you water wait here." Just as he was passing the door, he halted and said something like, "Talk to him."

Lusa's gone and in exchange, Esper came in and approached him. He stopped when he reached the side of the bed, just standing there, playing with his fingers like a child not knowing what to do or being caught red-handed doing something. Mastermind just looked at him, waiting for any words or action. He noticed Esper glanced at his injured hand and then looked away. Mastermind sighed and asked, "What is it, Esper?"

Esper was startled and started to stutter something. "Y-your hand… Sorry…"

Mastermind, too lazy too opened his mouth, just nodded slightly and waved his other hand. Now he thought of how he would work with one hand. He had his dynamo but some things were faster with his hands. He sighed again.

"I… I can help you…"

Mastermind whipped his head to see Esper, who jolted and still playing with his fingers, "Y-you know… I know you have works so… I can help you…? Because that…" Esper pointed at the injured hand.

Mastermind was silent before he let out a chuckle and said, "You better not messing up."


End file.
